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It’s safe to say that every Disney Channel show or movie had a nerd in it — and fans loved them!
Although Oliver Oken (Mitchel Musso) in Hannah Montana was a great friend to the undercover pop star, he wasn’t exactly the coolest kid in school. Aside from being a major TV star, Chad Dylan Cooper (Sterling Knight) from Sonny With a Chance definitely had his awkward moments. These guys have proved time and time again that there’s nothing wrong with embracing your quirks, even if that comes at the expense of your social status — because being popular is totally overrated.
When it was announced that the highly anticipated Lizzie McGuire reboot was canceled, actor Jake Thomas — who played Matt McGuire on the show — revealed what his character would be like in adulthood. “I’m bummed you all don’t get to see how Matt grew up. He was pretty chill,” he shared via Instagram. “Still a bit of a cocky a–hole, but a good dude. Lived large. Spoke fluent Japanese. And was a total Elon Musk fanboy.”
The actor echoed his Instagram statement during a January 2021 interview with Vice. “When I walked onto the set of the rebuilt McGuire house for the reboot, it felt like such an unreal homecoming, an overwhelming childhood nostalgia,” Jake shared. “It saddens me greatly that the fans don’t get to share in that feeling.”
While Ryan Evans — played by Lucas Grabeel — wasn’t a traditional nerd in High School Musical, he was a total theater kid. It’s been more than 10 years since the movie premiered, and director Kenny Ortega gave a major update about the character’s sexuality during an interview with Variety in June 2020.
“The character of Ryan [played by Lucas Grabeel] in High School Musical, Sharpay’s twin brother, we decided he’d probably going to come out in college. It was less about coming out and just more about letting his true colors come forward,” he shared at the time. “I just took it upon myself to make choices that I felt that those who were watching would grab. They would see it, they would feel it, they would know it and they would identify with it. And that is what happened.”
It turns out, these two aren’t the only former child stars who are all grown up! Some of your favorite former Disney Channel nerds grew up to be some major hotties in real life. Scroll through our gallery to uncover all of the nerdy Disney Channel guys who grew up to be total cuties.
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English (US) ·